B.B. King: How I Got My Sound
Did it sound very modern to you, that sound?
I don’t lie to you man. I’m trying to be honest. I didn’t know modern from old! I didn’t know one from the other. It’s the truth. It just to me was like a kid going to his first county fair or something.. My mother used to sometimes talk about spanking me and making me go to church. But when we went to Reverend Archie’s church I’d almost be leading her by the hand. “Come on,” you know. And we had an electric light in church, which was something that was rare in the area. And he would plug up and boy, I’ll tell you. It was something like heaven to me. And I really wanted to be a gospel singer like him, too. I really did. That was one of the first people that I ever saw doing something that I wished I could do and wanted to do it. And had thoughts about trying to do it.
One of the first songs you learned was “You Are My Sunshine.”
You know, I just learned a few years ago that Governor Jimmy Davis wrote the song. And I was such a big fan of his, I had some of my people to write him and tell him how much I appreciated the song and thought that he was terrific. You know what he did? He sent me a picture, autographed, and thanked me. That’s big people. You understand what I mean? A governor and he did that for me. Little old B.B. King.
Anyway, I had gotten large enough to know about a company, a mail order company called Sears Roebuck at the time. I think it’s just called Sears today.
And it was a guy that advertised guitar books in the Sears Roebuck catalog. And his name, I don’t know why I never forget it, but his name was Nick Maniloff.. And I ordered me one of them books. And the first tune I learned to do was “You Are My Sunshine.” And I even do it sometimes now in a concert, because I do it for ladies, you know. And it seemed to fit. People seem to like it. And that’s the beginning. And I used to sit on the street corners after I got to be a teenager where I could get out by myself. And I’d be sitting out there singing and playing my gospel songs. And I can’t dance, but I kept good time. I ain’t never danced in my life. When I was married my wife used to get me on the floor sometimes, but the way she’d get me out there she’d give me some orange juice and put vodka in it. So she’d get me out there. But I’ve never danced.
You were probably always too busy practicing guitar.
Funny thing, I used to see kids going to dance, going to places. And I was almost at that time always interested in the guitar more than even girls.
When I’d see guys and girls going to movie theaters, I never did. I’d be fooling with the guitar.